Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Videos: Old State Road Subdivision, Salem Church tower again, Hahira setbacks, Valdosta C-C and P-D @ GLPC 2026-08-31

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To answer the squabbling at the end of the last item, 7. VA-2026-10 RST Construction, NW corner of Cherry Creek Rd & Lake Laurie Dr., about which side got the most time to speak: after 38 minutes of introduction and staff presentation, Bill Langdale Jr. got 20 minutes to speak, which is more than the 15 minutes each side was supposed to have.

Watch for yourself in these LAKE videos of the August 31, 2026, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

[Collage @ GLPC 31 August 2026 --LAKE]
Collage @ GLPC 31 August 2026 –LAKE

After almost two hours on that item, they had two tie votes, 4 to 4, each broken by acting Chairman James Miller.

The first motion was to recommend approval. James Miller agonized for a while, then voted no.

Then they had a motion to table. James Miller voted yes on that one.

They also voted to table 4. TWR-2026-01 Salem Church Communication Facility, Old Valdosta Rd. N., Hahira, that one unanimously, and until a variance, presumably by the Valdosta-Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA).

For everything else, they recommended approval unanimously.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Local governments must decide permits within 45 days –GA SB 447 2026-07-01

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It’s GA SB 447 that sets a short time limit for approving permit applications, according to Lowndes County Clerk Belinda Lovern, in response to a LAKE open records request.

The actual limit appears to be 45 days, not 30 days, but still pretty brief, and it’s not just for datacenters. Exactly which permits is not clear, but at least anything that requires an erosion and sedimentation control plan.

A good part is that SB 447 requires local governments to maintain a website with current permit status. However, it also says, “A local government may satisfy the requirements of this Code section by providing a direct public link to a third-party permitting or records management system. provided such system displays the information required by subsection (c) of this Code section.” So chances are somebody one of the legislators knows is expecting to get about a hundred county and city customers this summer.

[Local governments must decide permits within 45 days --GA SB 447 2026-07-01, LCC 60-day datacenter moratorium]
Local governments must decide permits within 45 days –GA SB 447 2026-07-01, LCC 60-day datacenter moratorium

At the August 8, 2026, Work Session, Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes said state law changed this year, to require permit approval within 30 days. Continue reading →

Packet: Old State Road Subdivision, Salem Church tower again, Hahira setbacks, Valdosta C-C and P-D @ GLPC 2026-08-31

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Update 2026-09-01: Videos: Old State Road Subdivision, Salem Church tower again, Hahira setbacks, Valdosta C-C and P-D @ GLPC 2026-08-31.

The communications tower withdrawn before the May GLPC meeting is back for August 31, 2026. It’s still on Old Valdosta Road near Salem Church Road.

Now they reveal it is for Verizon. And unlike the other recent Verizon case, TWR-2026-02 from June, the county included the propagation maps and the certified engineer letter in the board packet, without LAKE having to squeeze those things out of them.

Verizon is also offering an out for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC): send the case to ZBOA. If the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals denies, it, presumably it’s done for. But if ZBOA approves it, they send it back to GLPC to deal with again.

[Collage, Packet @ GLPC 2026-08-31 --LAKE]
Collage, Packet @ GLPC 2026-08-31 –LAKE

The other county case this month is for a small subdivision on Old State Road.

There’s one Hahira case, on Old Stagecoach Trail, for a setback variance to build an addition on the back of their residence.

Staff like the first Valdosta case, to establish consistent zoning across the entire parcel, on East Park Avenue.

But staff recommend denial of the other Valdosta case, for a Planned Development at Cherry Creek Road and Lake Laurie Drive, finding it inconsistent three ways with city standards.

Here is the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, with images of each page below.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, August 24, 2026 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, August 31, 2026 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Valdosta City Hall Annex
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31601 Continue reading →

Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July 2026-08-10

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Is anything sacred to a pipeline company?

Apparently not, since Sabal Trail wants to drill through a cemetery, McIntyre Family Cemetery, aka Old Redland Cemetery, on Knights Ferry Road. See below.

That’s in addition to through the old landfill site on Madison Highway, where Lowndes County granted Sabal Trail an easement for only one pipeline back in 2016; see also below.

What “new high-volume customers” can you think of that would be enough to cause a whole new pipeline? I can’t think of any except hyper-scale AI datacenters.

[Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July, about a second pipeline through McIntyre Cemetery on Knights Ferry Road, and the landfill on Madison Highway]
Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July, about a second pipeline through McIntyre Cemetery on Knights Ferry Road, and the landfill on Madison Highway

A lobbyist for Sabal Trail met with Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter about “potential expansion of Sabal Trail” on Tuesday, July 21, 2026,

This apparently irritated Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes, because the lobbyist’s firm apologized to her the next day for “confusion on Monday around our meeting request.”

Sabal Trail Intro from Joel Wiggins to Lowndes County Manager

Belinda Lovern

From: Joel Wiggins <wiggins@thesoutherngroup.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 11:24 AM
To: County Manager
Subject: Sabal Trail Intro

Attachments: Sabal Trail Expansion and Extension Initial Project Fact Sheet 07092026.pdf; IMG_1985.jpeg

EXTERNAL EMAIL: Do not click any links or open any attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe.

Good Morning Paige,

I apologize for the confusion on Monday around our meeting request. Dante on my team is a former ACCG employee and reached out directly to Chairman Slaughter due to his personal relationship. Typically, I would reach out to you directly and I apologize for any confusion.

We were able to meet with the Chairman yesterday and update him on our potential expansion along the Sabal Trail. We are in the early stages of a proposed expansion and are meeting with local leaders in all counties. We anticipate that any improvements would take place within the ROW of the existing pipeline, but we wanted to touch base before landowner notices go out on 8/1.

Please see attached for Continue reading →

Sabal Trail pipeline Easement with Lowndes County Commission 2026-01-26 2016-01-26

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Update 2026-08-30: Lowndes County has been talking to Sabal Trail since July 2026-08-10.

This is the easement for a 36-inch fracked methane pipeline that the Lowndes County Commission approved on January 26, 2016, saying it was a good business decision.

Nevermind the letter that the Chairman sent to FERC on April 11, 2014, Sabal Trail will be expected to adhere and honor all Lowndes County Ordinances -Bill E Slaughter, JR to FERC.

Anyway, this easement has a couple of interesting clauses.

On page 2, “4.a. Single Pipeline; Pipeline Depth. This Easement allows a single underground Pipeline with a maximum pipe outer diameter of thirty-six (36) inches, and with the maximum allowable operating pressure” of natural gas transported within the pipeline as permitted by applicable law, rule or regulation.”

Now that Sabal Trail wants a second pipeline, it will have to negotiate with landowners again, including the Lowndes County government. And it is already doing so; see a following post.

[Sabal Trail pipeline Easement with Lowndes County 2016-01-26, Between Railroad Ave. and Madison Highway]
Sabal Trail pipeline Easement with Lowndes County 2016-01-26, Between Railroad Ave. and Madison Highway

Another interesting clause is on page 5, “13. Taxes. Grantee shall assume and pay the amount of any taxes lawfully assessed and applicable to Grantee and due and owing on the Pipeline, Pipeline Facilities or Easement Area.”

Evidently if you have enough leverage, you can get Sabal Trail to agree to things they never would have offered.

The property is between Railroad Avenue and Madison Highway, south of Clyattville. It is near Clyatt Mill Creek, and uphill from the Withlacoochee River. It has an old landfill on one of the parcels; thus the monitoring wells in the easement.

PDF of the easement, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Images of each page are below.

But first, here is a Sabal Trail alignment map that covers the subject property. For such alignment maps for the entire pipeline in all three states, see LAKE: Sabal Trail Transmission alignment maps 2016-04-07. Continue reading →

Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Regular 2026-08-25

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The 60-day moratorium on datacenter applications passed unanimously with no discussion.

Six citizens were heard against datacenters, and one about conduct unbecoming by the Commissioners.

The Lowndes County Commission also passed everything else unanimously in their Regular Session of August 25, 2026.

Including the four millage rate items. There was a millage presentation, with a promise that it would be on the county website. I don’t see it there yet. If it’s still not there this afternoon, I will post screenshots from the LAKE video.

[Collage @ LCC Regular 25 August 2026 --LAKE]
Collage @ LCC Regular 25 August 2026 –LAKE

Below are links to videos of each agenda item, with some notes by John S. Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Work 2026-08-24

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Update 2026-08-26: Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Regular 2026-08-25.

At the Work Session yesterday morning, Gretchen Quarterman noted, “Not a Data Center Moratorium, just an application moratorium. State Law changed this year, because of pressures from big money, to require that permitting of Data Centers be processed in 30 days. Should the county get an application, they would not have time to make an ordinance. Seems like reaction, rather than proaction to me and while lip service was given to community involvement, 60 days isn’t very long for that to happen.”

There was also no promise to show the draft datacenter ordinance to the people, instead of the usual Lowndes County Commission practice that until it shows up in an agenda on a Friday to be voted on the next Tuesday, as is the usual practice with Lowndes County ordinances.

[Collage @ LCC 24 August 2026]
Collage @ LCC 24 August 2026

Finance Director Stephanie Black said millage rates for the two Authorities and Fire would remain the same, while there would be a rollback on the main millage rate.

The presentations on each of the millage rates will be this evening at the Regular Session.

Commissioners had questions on almost every item at the Work Session.

The CDBG-DR grant application is supposed to be for Community Development Disaster Recovery, but seems to be exclusively to help developers who want to develop in the Riverside Road area without taking responsibility to pave the road. Why not use those funds for actual disaster recovery?

The Land Application System (LAS) Holding Pond Sludge Removal is complicated; thus the wildly varying bid amounts.

Below are links to videos of each agenda item, with some notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Origin of Coppage Road Tree Canopy 2026-08-08

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On Coppage Road, Lowndes County used curb and gutter to preserve both a half canopy and a full canopy.

The process started in 2009, and Coppage Road was finally paved in 2016.

[Origins of Curb and Gutter, Coppage Road Tree Canopy, between Griffin Drive, and Skipper Bridge Road]
Origins of Curb and Gutter, Coppage Road Tree Canopy, between Griffin Drive, and Skipper Bridge Road

August 2009: ASA Engineering to survey Coppage Road

The Lowndes County archive server cannot find the minutes from that August 11, 2009, County Commission meeting.

https://www.lowndescounty.com/Archive.aspx

However, using the main search box on lowndescounty.com finds those minutes:

https://www.lowndescounty.com/DocumentCenter/View/497/Board-of-Commissioners-Regular-Session-Minutes-for-August-11-2009-PDF?bidId=

Notice several more citizens spoke than the VDT recorded.

CITIZENS WISHING TO BE HEARD

Chairman Paulk spoke to the audience regarding paving, for those attending and speaking regarding Coppage Road.

Vicki Taunton, 5112 Coppage Road, stated she thought notification was to be sent to the property owners when the road was to be paved. She’d like Coppage Road to remain unpaved. She has a list of 22 parcel holders which are against the paving of the road. Commissioner Lee stated that he was the Commissioner that asked for the road to be on the paving list. Commissioner Lee stated the right of way acquisitions are the first step in the paving process of a dirt road, then a neighborhood meeting would be called and notifications would be sent to them regarding the process for paving. Continue reading →

Packet: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC 2026-08-24

Update 2026-08-25: Videos: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC Work 2026-08-24.

Something we’d been told for many weeks would never happen may happen Tuesday: the Lowndes County Commission will vote on a Data Center Moratorium, as promised by a county announcement Friday.

Does this mean no datacenters? Of course not. It’s just a delay of 60 days, while the county works on its datacenter ordinance.

But it’s some small sign that maybe the county is listening to the many people who have proposed a moratorium. As recently as July 28 we were told Lowndes County will not be doing a moratorium. Now it’s on the agenda.

We still see no indication of any planned Public Hearings for the draft datacenter ordinance, and nobody outside the county government has seen any draft, so far as I know.

They will also be setting the milage rates, with a rollback for the county-wide millage, and the same as usual for VLPRA, VLCIA, and Fire Services.

They will vote on two TIA items, one for Twin Lakes Road, and three items about a CDBG-DR funding application.

And, finally, a complicated bid solution for Land Application System (LAS) Holding Pond Sludge Removal.

[Packet: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR applic., LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC 2026-08-24]
Packet: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR applic., LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC 2026-08-24

Here is the agenda.

See also the board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, with images of each page below. Why the county does not put that packet on its own website continues to be mysterious.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2026, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2026, 5:30 p.m
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Data Center Moratorium vote Tuesday @ LCC 2026-08-21

Update 2026-08-21: Packet: Datacenter Moratorium, Millage Rates, TIA agreements, CDBG-DR application, LAS Holding Pond Sludge Removal @ LCC 2026-08-24.

We have no further confirmation of this, since the county has not yet posted its agenda for next week in their Agenda Center, and they have not yet responded to LAKE’s open records request for the board packet.

But they sent this press release out to subscribers to lowndescounty.com and it’s on that web page under Lowndes County News.

Actually, at least one County Commissioner confirms this moratorium should be on the agenda for Tuesday. And probably also the animal ordinance.

Maybe Lowndes County is finally going to catch up to Brooks and Cook Counties and the City of Adel and many more Georgia counties, as well as Madison and Citrus and many other Florida counties, which have already passed datacenter moratoriums.

For much more about datacenters, see:

https://wwals.net/issues/datacenters

[Datacenter Moratorium vote Tuesday, 2026-08-21 --Lowndes County Board of Commissioners]
Datacenter Moratorium vote Tuesday, 2026-08-21 –Lowndes County Board of Commissioners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, August 21, 2026

Lowndes County Board of Commissioners to Consider Data Center Moratorium

Lowndes County, Georgia: The Lowndes County Board of Commissioners will consider a proposed moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Lowndes County during its Regular Session Meeting on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

If approved, the moratorium would be in place on an interim basis while the County develops a comprehensive data center ordinance for consideration and approval by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners.

Meeting Information

Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Commission Chambers

Address: 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31601

The Board recognizes the importance of carefully evaluating the potential impacts and considerations associated with data center development and will continue to review the matter through the appropriate public process.

-jsq

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